Hydration × flour
72% Hydration Light Rye Flour
Increasingly open crumb, medium-to-large cells. Classic Pain au Levain territory. Chewy crust with moist interior.
✓ Within Light Rye Flour's workable range (68–80%)
Is 72% hydration right for Light Rye Flour?
Light Rye Flour's workable hydration range is 68–80%. Its absorption multiplier is 1.03× bread flour. At 72%, you are in the sweet spot — the dough will handle predictably and produce the crumb described above.
Absorption math for Light Rye Flour at 72%
A recipe written for bread flour at 72% hydration, when substituted with 100% Light Rye Flour, becomes 74% effective hydration (because Light Rye Flour absorbs 3% more water). Handles closer to wheat than medium or dark rye — light stretch-and-folds are fine at low percentages. Keep the bulk ferment a touch shorter than an all-wheat dough; rye enzymes speed fermentation. Above ~40% rye, switch to no-knead rye handling (mix, rest, wet hands, tight banneton).
Technique at 72% hydration
Dough requires strong gluten development (3-4 stretch-and-folds or coil folds). Shaping benefits from cold retard. Handle with wet hands or flour-dusted bench scraper.
Calculator pre-set to 72%
Weights below assume 100% Light Rye Flour. For blends, use the main calculator on a recipe page.
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 310 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 870 g
- Effective hydration
- 72%
How the math works
Total water = flour × hydration %. Your levain contributes 50 g flour + 50 g water — both count toward the totals. You add only the remainder as fresh flour and water.
Salt % is computed on total flour weight, not final-dough flour.